Packing case



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4 '.lvl s 8 A Nov. 22, 1949 Filed March 29, 1947 Flog.

NOV. 22, 1949 l F, ML TALBOT 2,488,692

PACKING CASE Filed March 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lfm/EN Ton, FRANK' M,Tulio-r; BY L'TORNEX l Patented Nov. 22, `1949 STATES PATENT ori-ficsPACKING 'CASE vFrank .M. Talbot, Evansville 4Ind.

Application March 29, 1947', Serial No.*"738,/048

1 Claim. I

This invention relates to a shipping crate of a type which may [bestored and delivered to the user in a knocked down condition whereby 'aminimum of space will be occupied until erected. A primary object of theinvention is zto provide anexceedingly simple yconstruction of minimumweight Iand yet which will be quite rigid. A further important object of.the invention is to provide a base or pallet to receive the article tobe encased and to supply the base mounted thereon, by means of which theencased article 'may be transported, and yat the same time form the basefor supporting the case structure thereabove in lan interlocking manner.

A still further important object of the'invention is to provide -astructure ywhereby at least three of the side panels may loe integrallyhinged `one to the other kpermitting use of berwboard or plywood and thelike without requiring nailing .at the hinged corners. Further it isimportant that the superstructure above the pallet interlock with thepallet as well as with -a top `cover whereloy there is no tendency tospread apart. The structure is so provided that allparts thereof may besecured firmly on the v.pallet'and one against it bysirnply passing oneor more straps or fbands around :the erected case.

These and many other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent to those versed in the art in the following description o'f oneparticular form as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFig. l is ya view in front elevation of a strructure embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2, ra view in side elevation;

Y Fig. 3, a view in vertical section on the line 3-3 Fig. 1;

Fig. 4,v a view in horizontal section on the line 4-4, Fig. l;

Fig. 5, a `view in detail on yan enlarged scale of the yfront cornerjuncture ,between the panel side andthe top of the case in perspective;

Fig. 6, a view in 4perspective of the top cover from the under side;

Fig. 7, a view in perspective from thefinside of the side and rearpanels;

Fig. -8, a -view in top perspectiveof ythe .base palletand Y ,'Fig. 9, aView in perspective -from'theinside of the front panel.

Like .characters of reference indicate like parts throughouttheseveralviews in :the drawings.

In the form of the invention 'herein Vs'howng'I provide 4a base'orpallet-IUVbuilt-up in any suitable manner fto have 'thefdimensions to receiveand end 'portions on which are secured the rails |131 and |14. .'Ihenacross the outer ends of these rails f|3 and |4 are secured side `trailsf|5 --and flB. The .rail '|'5 lis :provided with tongues `|-1 and |8whichextend entirely'to'the outer edges :of the underlying rails 4I3 and|54 .whereas the major ends L|9 and 2l) of the rail ll|'5 are. spacedinwardly respectively from those ifron-t .and'b-ack rails i3 and |4,Fig. 8. Likewise the 'top side Yrail I6 provided .with Atongues -2`| and122 which .extend .out to ".the outer edges of those'rails |3Jand |4,whereas themajor end portions 23 and 24 ofthe. rail I6 arespacedinvva-rd-ly'fromthose edges.

Preferably, ywhile vnot necessarily so, a flolock 25 is laid on thetopisi'de 'of :the rai-1 I3 between the rails l5 and vI6 tohave .itsforward edges come withinithejpl-ane off the-ends |.9 and 23.

Referring to Fig. 7, arear panel '26 is provided to have side panels.21and28shinged toits vertical edges. Theside lpa'ne1i21 hassecured theretoalong its :front vvertical edge :and against its inside'facefapost 29.Likewise .a post '3U is'secured along the rear vertical .edge of thispan-el 21 against Iits face so that .when .the panel 21 is folded toextend at'right 'angles forwardly .from the rear .panel -26,'the back'.face :of ythe post 30 will fthen :zbe in lcontact againstii-,heforward face of the panel 26. In like manner, posts 3| and 32 :aresecured against the inner iace4 of the panel 28. The lower ends of theseposts 29, ,30, 3| land 32 terminate a distance above the lower edges ofthe panels '21"and28 equal to thefvertical thi-ckness of each of-therails land |6. From the lower ends lof these posts, there extendsdownwardly in inwardly yspaced .relation from the panels 21 and 28 thetongues 33, 34, 35 and 3-5. The inward spacing vof these tongues fromthe panels equals the horizontalfthickness of each of the tong-ues I1,|8, 2|, and 22 as vmeasured-'from the Iouter side edges Aof theyrespective rails |5 land I6.

The horizontal lengthfoffeach rofthepanels `21 and P28 :is made tobesubstantially -equal Ito theY lengths of these rails I5 Iand |6 'fromend to end of 'their tongues. VThe horizontal 'length ofthe rear panel26 is made'to-beequallto substantially the length-oftherail |4.`In-assernbling 'these side and rear'ipanels on the vpallet IU, `the-side panel 21 is assembled by having its lower edgey portion broughtaround along 'theouterside-of therail 15; the lower edge portion ofthepanel 26hroughtacrossithefendsoithe rails |5-ran'd It across the rearrail I4; and the side panel 28 has its lower edge portion brought alongthe outer edge of the side rail I 6. 'I'he tongues 33 and 34 are forceddownwardly along the inner sides of the tongues I1 and I8 and likewisethe tongues 35 and 36 are forced downwardly along the insides of thetongues 2| and 22. When this connection is made, the panels 21, 26, and28 will then be held against horizontal ydisplacement in any direction.'I'he panels being on the outside of the rails I5 and I6, the varioustongues cannot slip or slide inwardly. Also by reason of the opposingfaces of the tongues 33 and 34 being in contact with the rail -ends I9and 20, and likewise the inner faces of the tongues 35 and 36 being incontact with the ends 23 and 24 of the rail I 6, fore and aft movementis prevented. As indicated, the distance between rail ends I9 and 20 isina-'de to be substantially the distance between the tongues 33 and 34,and likewise the distance between ends 23 and 24 of the rail I6 is madeto equal substantially the distance .between tongues 35 and 36.

As indicated in Fig. 6, a top frame is built up to have side rails 31and 38. The rail 31 terminates by ends 39 and 49, the distance betweenwhich equals the distance between upwardly extending tongues 4I and 42that are provided on the posts 29 and 3D spaced inwardly from the faceof the panel 21. The side rail 31 is provided with end extended tongues43 and 44 shaped to t snugly between the post tongues 4I and 42 and theinner face of panel 21 when the top is in its closed position. In thesame manner the other side rail 38 terminates by ends 45 and 4B spacedapart a distance equal to the spacing apart of the upper ends of theposts 3| and 32. Then there are the rail extending tongues 41 and 48formed to fit between the post tongues 49 and 59 and the inside face ofthe panel 28. The top side rails 31 and 38 are spaced apart andmaintained in proper alignment by the front and rear ties 5I and 52which are secured to have those rails on their top sides thereof to havetheir front and rear edges respectively aligned with the outer ends ofthe respective side rail tongues 43, 41, for the ties 5I and 44, 48, forthe tie 52. A cover panel 53 is secured to the top sides of the ties 5Iand '52 in any suitable manner. The dimensions of this cover 53 are suchthat when the top structure is brought into position to have itsrespective tongues interengaged by the respective post tongues as aboveindicated, the outer edges of the cover 53 will be within the planes ofthe outer faces of the panels 25, 21 and 28. A ller block 54 may be usedto ll in the space between the forward ends of the rails 31 and 38 tohave its forward edge ilush with the rail ends 39 and 45, the block 54being secured to the tie 5 I.

Now with the top structure above described positioned to have'itstongues interengage the -post tongues, the upper portions of the panels21, 26 and 28, are held against any tendency to shift laterally one fromthe other since these panels are then interconnected with the top in thesame manner as the panels are interconnected with the base I.

Thus it is to be seen that even though there be an article maintained onand secured to the base I0, such article being for example, arefrigerator of considerable weight, the side panels and the top may bebrought around that article and interconnect one with the other. Tocomplete the enclosure of the article, the front panel v55 is providedto t against the front faces of gaseosa the posts 29 and 3| and also atleast across the ends of the cover tongues 43 and 41 and the basetongues i1 and 2I. In order to reinforce the panel 55, reinforcingstrips 56 and 51, Fig. 9, are secured against the inner face of thepanel 55 to have their lower ends bear against the forward edge of themember 25, and the upper ends against the ller block 54. Now in order tosecure the members thus tted together and hold them against displacementduring movement of the base Ill and the article carried thereon,preferably one or more straps 58 herein shown as two, Fig. 1, arecarried entirely around the assembly under the base I0 between therunners II and I2 so as to be free of the floor or ground, upwardlyvertically across the back panel 26 horizontally forwardly over the topassembly, and upwardly and downwardly respectively across the front sideof the panel 55 to be interconnected at the joints 59 in any suitablemanner such as is well known to those versed in the packing art wheredevices are well known to interengage and interlock ends of flexiblemetal straps. Of course, it is entirely feasible to nail or employscrews through the respective tongues to secure the panels, base and topone to the other, particularly where a one-time use only of the case ishad.

While I have herein shown and described my invention in the oneparticular form it is obvious that structural, changes may be employedwithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore donot desire to be limited t0 that precise form beyond the limitationswhich may be imposed by the following claim.

I claim:

A collapsible box construction comprising in combination, a pallet base;a relatively rear panel; opposing side panels, each side panel beinghinged by a rear vertical end portion to the respective vertical endportions of the rear panel, whereby the side and rear panels are anintegral unit foldable into substantially U shape; a vertical cornerpost secured to and inside of said unit along each of said hingedportions terminating by top and bottom ends substantially at therespective top and bottom edges of said unit; a front post verticallydisposed along the inside and secured to the front edge portion of eachof said side panels, each of said front posts terminating by top andbottom ends substantially at the top and bottom edges of said sidepanels; said corner and front posts each having its top and bottom endnotched out on that side adjacent the side panels in each instance toprovide respectively upwardly and downwardly extending tongues spacedfrom those side panels; fore and aft extending tongues on said base atits side edges, said fore and aft tongues being sized and located toreceive said corner and front post downwardly extending tongues insidethereof and have said base edges be in abutment with the inside faces ofsaid side panels; abutments on said base inwardly spaced from said basetongues abutting the front and back faces respectively or" said cornerand front posts, whereby the lower end of said unit is maintainedagainst fore and aft and lateral slipping on said base; and a top cover;side members carried by said cover having fore and aft extending tonguesentering respectively between said side panels and said upwardlyextending tongues on said corner and front posts; and abutments on saidcover side members bearing against the opposing 75, front and rear facesof said corner and front 2,488,692 5 posts, whereby said top covermaintains the top end of said unit in conformance to the lower endUN'ITED STATES PATENTS portion thereof, Number Name Date FRANK M.TALBOT. 1,705,003 CI0S1ey Mar. 12, 1929 5 1,737,186 Champln NOV. 26,1929 REFERENCES CITED 1,884,962 McSweeney oct. 25, 1932 The followinreferences are of record in the 21249268 Boeye July 15 1941 me of thispaient: 2,299,175 Procissi oct. 2o, 1942

